Review 1948: Le Manzinaie, Apartment

When

October 2005, 2 wks

Review

Le Manzinaie is a lovely little farm (podere) about a 20-minute drive from the beautifiul hill town of Montepulciano and a five-minute drive from Montepulciano Stazzione, where you can hop a train to Siena. Accommodations are four beautifully restored and renovated independant apartments, each with fifteen-foot vaulted brick ceilings, a complete kitchen, a charming and whisper-quiet bedroom with a canopy bed and a super luxurious bathroom (big soaking Jacuzzi tub). The little farm has apple, pear and quince orchards, a big vegetable garden and an in-season swimming pool.

The location is perfect for exploring the south-of-Siena part of Tuscany. The owners, Marzia and Fiore and their English-fluent daughter Alicia, provide you with a detailed printed itinerary of neighboring towns (Montepulciano, Montalcino, Cortona, Perugia, Siena are all very easy to get to from here.) This service is only one of many they perform. You arrive to find your kitchen stocked with breakfast items for the next day. You ask a question about a train and magically receive a printed schedule in minutes. Fiore is quick to offer cappucino or a glass of wine, depending on the time of day. These are wonderful, wonderful people - warm, genuine, generous, lively, funny. They are what make this place simply outstanding.

One night a week Marzia and Fiore prepare an umpty-nine course Tuscan meal for all their guests. The food is superb, the wine flows, the conversation is animated, and you never want the night to end. They have elevated hospitality to a fine art.

Staying at LeManzinaie made us feel like we were really living in Italy not just passing through. We cannot recommend this place more highly.

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.